Former First Lady Michelle Obama has left veteran actor Henry Winkler visibly stunned after she confessed to finding his iconic Happy Days character, Arthur 'The Fonz' Fonzarelli, 'sexy' during her youth.
A Blushing Confession on the Podcast
The candid moment unfolded on the latest episode of her podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson. The 61-year-old told her 80-year-old guest that one of her earliest crushes was the leather-jacket-clad Fonz.
'Let me tell you who The Fonz was, at least to me,' Michelle Obama declared. 'First of all, sexy.' A clearly taken-aback Winkler blushed and responded: 'I'm sitting differently in my chair right now.'
She elaborated, explaining she was a young pre-teen at the time. 'I saw on the screen the coolest... you read tall!' she said. Winkler agreed with her perception of his height, noting people often told him they thought he was taller.
Michelle Obama went further, describing The Fonz as an 'even cooler version of John Travolta, before John Travolta,' and imagined him as a 6ft 3in figure.
The Enduring Legacy of Happy Days
Winkler played the streetwise, motorcycle-riding Arthur Fonzarelli in the hit American sitcom Happy Days, which ran from 1974 until 1984. The character, known for his slicked-back hair and leather jacket, brought a dash of rebellious cool to the show's nostalgic 1950s setting.
The series was a prime-time phenomenon, also starring Ron Howard, Marion Ross, and Tom Bosley, and remains a cornerstone of popular culture.
Parenting Insights: Bedtime Battles and Daughters' Personalities
Elsewhere in the podcast conversation, the former First Lady offered a relatable glimpse into the challenges of parenting her daughters, Malia, now 27, and Sasha, 24, particularly when her husband, former President Barack Obama, was travelling.
She recounted a story from when the girls were about seven and three. 'Barack was traveling, so I was at home trying to get the girls to bed,' she said. After a night of them being 'rambunctious' and not listening to her instructions to get ready for a bath, she reached her limit.
'I was in my frustrated mommy time,' she admitted, recalling telling them, 'Well, that's it... I'm done parenting. You guys have this all figured out and you can do this on your own, so have at it.'
The reaction, she said, perfectly highlighted their different personalities even then. 'My oldest daughter, Malia said, "Oh no, mummy, you know, I can't do it without you,"' Michelle shared. Meanwhile, three-year-old Sasha simply 'took her blankie, and she turned around and went back upstairs to watch TV, as if to say, like, "Thank God."'
She noted these traits persist today, with her younger daughter preferring to learn lessons through her own experience. Michelle Obama has often spoken about raising children in the White House, previously hinting that Barack Obama's political commitments impacted his role as a father during his presidency.
